Rail anchor



A. F. FIFHELD RAIL ANCHOR March 31, 1936.

Filed Sept. 16, 1929 Patented Mar. 31, 1936 UNETE STATES PATENT ()FFICE RAIL ANCHOR Application September 16, 1929, Serial No. 392,867

16 Claims.

My invention relates to rail anchors and relates particularly to rail anchors of the general type having a rail base gripping element and a reach bar projected therefrom transversely and beneath the rail base to engage the opposite rail base edge to lock theanchor on the rail.

This invention has for a general object the improvement of that type of rail anchor characterized by its being constructed in two interlocking parts of which one may be termed a clamp and the other a clip, the clip making wedging engagement with the clamp to cooperate therewith to lock the anchor on the rail.

An object of the present invention is to im prove the action of the parts during the driving on operation to which the anchor must be initially subjected prior to use.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved form of two piece rail anchor of the above type wherein over driving and undue recoil of the spring element of the anchor is effectually restrained.

Other objects of my invention and the invention itself will become apparent by reference to the following description of certain embodiments of my invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an anchor embodying the principles of my invention illustrated as applied to a rail base, shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the attached rail anchor, with the rail web shown in transverse section;

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the rail flange gripping element.

Figs. 4 and 5 are views of another embodiment of my invention, the views corresponding respectively in kind to the views illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

In some respects my invention is an improvement over that disclosed in the patent to F. W. Cooper, No. 1,682,370, August 28, 1928.

Referring now first to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, wherein like parts are designated by like reference characters, ll designates the flanges of a rail base to one of which a clamp 12, of substantially U form, as disclosed generally in the patent to Cooper aforesaid, is designed for attachment as shown, so as to locate its central or seat portion [3 beneath that flange of the rail base to which the clamp attaches and in a plane inclining toward the opposite base flange.

A clip, designated as a whole by the numeral [4, and of the general looped form generally disclosed in the Cooper patent aforesaid, includes a shank or long arm [5 forming a reach bar terminating at one end in an upwardly or outwardly turned hook l6 and at the other end in a loop 5?, the tail portion E8 of which (on occasion re- 5 ferred to as the short arm) inclines toward the central part of the shank and terminates in an upwardly or inwardly turned hook I!) adapted to have substantially end abutting relation with the shank at approximately the medial point thereof. 10 The shank or long arm is bent or curved downwardly between its ends, so as to be spaced, in its central portion, below the rail base when applied thereto. This central portion of the shank merges into the loop ll through a substantially flat or slightly reversely curved portion 20.

At 26 I form the clamp seat I 3 with a hump preferably extending transversely of the seat between the parallel limbs 24 of the clamp I2. As a convenience in manufacture, the upwardly bowed portion 26 is in the form of a ridge and is formed by bodily off-setting upwardly the material of the seat as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. This ridge need not extend across the entire width of the seat I3. The short arm or tail portion l8 of the spring loop I! is likewise deformed being provided with a hump in the form of an upwardly deflected transverse ridge 25, the material of the arm being bodily off-set in order to provide said deflected portion. 30 When the anchor is attached the off-set portions of the clamp seat l3 and the resilient short arm l8 are superposed and provide an interlocked engagement. It is important that the upper surface of the ridge 26 over which the short arm I8 of the loop must be driven during attachment of the anchor be not made too high relative to the other portions of the upper surface of the seat l3, the proper elevation being that which is permitted by the resiliency of the reach bar 15, which must necessarily be distorted to a more straightened form during application of the anchor to the rail.

In driving the anchor of my invention onto a rail base the clamp is first driven firmly on one base flange of a rail and the clip is then projected hook end first through the tapered passage provided by the clamp seat and the bottom of the rail base. When the hook l6 has advanced nearly the entire distance across the base, both it and the reach bar portion adjacent the loop are pressed upwardly against the rail base by the engagement of the inwardly turned hook l9 of the short arm of the loop with the under surface of the reach bar l5 in its intermediate portion.

Further advance of the clip can be obtained only by the application of force, usually by forcibly driving the loop by impact with a hammer, the driving eifecting a travel of the short arm l8 over the inclined clamp seat until suddenly the stresses opposing driving are relieved by the hook l6 snapping over the remote edge of the rail base II and the upwardly bowed portion 25 of the short arm l8 snaps downwardly into superposed interlocking engagement with the ridge 26, over which the fore part of the short arm l8 previously is driven.

Referring now to Figs. 4 and 5, a modified form of anchor embodying my invention is illustrated therein. In this embodiment, the off-set portion 25 of the short arm I8 is extended in width so that its lower surface provides a concavity at 30, considerably wider than the width of the upwardly projecting ridge portion 26 of the clamp seat l3. This arrangement permits the forward portion 3! adjacent the ridge 25' to ride over the clamp seat ridge 26, substantially before the reach hooked end I6 has been snapped upwardly into engagement with the vertical remote edge surface of the rail base and substantially before clip H has been driven transversely of the rail to its ultimate position. Interlocking of the projection with the rearmost lateral wall of the recess 30 is accomplished at this stage of the operation and prevents undue recoil of the loop.

Therefore, less resistance will be offered to the snapping over the upwardly deflected ridge of the clamp seat. The effect of further driving on the clip is then to move it to the position indicated in the drawing whereby over-driving of the clip is avoided by interengagement of the ridge 26 with the rearmost transversely extending wall 32 of the transverse recess 30 on the under side of the short arm l8.

The operation of a rail anchor of this general type, in use, attached to a rail base as described is well understood. In general, however, the engagement of the depending portion of the clamp with a fixed portion of the road bed such as a rail tie is relied upon to prevent longitudinal creeping of the rail to which the anchor is attached. Upon an attempted creeping the anchor will tend to slue so as to effect a slight obliquity to the position of the anchor transversely of the rail and this will result in a biting grip at opposite sides of the anchor on the two sides of the rail.

The pressure engagement of the clamp and tie will also effect a tendency toward canting of the anchor with a resultant widening engagement of one of the lower jaws of the clamp upon the bottom of the rail base and one of the upper jaws of the clamp on the upper surface of the embraced rail base. Therefore, both the canting and sluing effects accomplish cooperative grips of the anchor on the rail to prevent further sluing and canting movement and to have to resist more than a very slight creeping of the rail relative to the road bed.

Having thus described my invention in certain embodiments, I am aware that numerous and extensive departures may be made from the embodiment herein illustrated and described but without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A rail anchor comprising separate rail gripping and retaining members, said retaining member being turned at one end to form a loop having converging sides and terminating at its other end in a reversely turned rail base flange engaging hook, said rail gripping member having a pair of jaws adapted to be driven onto a rail base flange and a pendant portion which when the anchor is applied to a rail, provides a seat for said loop, said seat and the bottom surface of said rail flange adapted when the gripping member is driven onto a rail base flange, to form lower and. upper guides, said loop adapted to be driven be-- tween said guides to progressively compress the loop therebetween, said seat being formed withopposite shoulder portions and said loop being formed with corresponding opposite shoulder said loop, said seat and the bottom surface of said rail flange adapted when the gripping member is driven onto a rail base flange, to form lower and upper loop guides, said loop adapted to be driven between said guides to progressively compress the loop therebetween, said seat and said loop 5 being provided with superposed surfaces formed so as to interlock the members, one of said interlocking surfaces comprising a projection of its associated member, the other comprising a cone sponding recess in the surface of the other member.

3. A rail anchor comprising separate rail gripping and retaining members, said retaining member being turned at one end to form a loop having converging sides and terminating at its other end in a reversely turned rail base flange engaging hook, said rail gripping member having a pair of jaws adapted to be driven onto a rail base flange and a pendant portion which when the anchor is applied to a rail, provides a seat for said loop, said seat and the bottom surface of said rail flange adapted when the gripping member is driven onto a rail base flange, to form lower and upper guides, said loop adapted to be driven between said guides to progressively compress the loop therebetween, the reversely turned arm of said loop being disposed lowermost in engagement with the upper surface of the seat, said arm and seat being interlocked by a projection of the one extending within a recessed portion of ie other.

4. A rail anchor comprising separate rail gripping and retaining members, said retaining memher being turned at one end to form a loop having converging sides and terminating at its other end in a reversely turned rail base flange engaging hook, said rail gripping member having a pair of jaws adapted to be driven onto a rail base flange and a pendant portion which when the anchor is applied to a rail, provides a seat for said loop, said seat and the bottom surface of said rail flange adapted when the gripping member is driven onto a rail base flange, to form lower and upper guides,

said loop adapted to be driven between said guides to progressively compress the loop therebetween, the reversely turned arm of said loop being disposed lowermost in engagement with the upper surface of the seat, said arm and seat being interlocked by a transversely extending projection of the one extending within a recessed. portionof the other;

5. A rail anchor comprising separate rail gripping and retaining. members, said retaining member being turned at one end to form aloop having converging sides and terminating at its other end in a reversely turned rail base flange engaging hook, said rail gripping member having a pair of jaws adapted to be driven onto a rail base flange and a pendant portion which when the anchor is applied to a rail, provides a seat for said loop, said seat and the bottom surface of said rail flange adapted when the gripping member is driven onto a rail baseflange, to form lower and upper guides, said loop adapted to be driven between said guides to progressively compress the loop therebetween, the reversely turned arm of said loop being disposed lowermost in engagement-with the upper surface of the seat, said arm and seat being interlocked by a transversely extending projection of the one extending within a. recessed portion of the other, said projection and recess being provided by bodily deflecting the material of said pendant portion andloop arm respectively in a corresponding direction.

6. A rail anchor comprising a pair of rail gripping elements, a retaining one of the elements being turned at one end to form a loop comprising a long and a short arm, the long arm termihating at its free end in a reversely turned rail base flange engaging hook, the other element adapted to be affixed to the other flange of the rail base and having a portion pendant therefrom underlying said loop, the arms of the loop converging toward an intermediate portion of the long arm and adapted to be driven transversely and below the rail base to project the hook beyond the opposite flange edge to effect engagement of the hook with the generally vertical surface of the rail base flange, the underlying portion of said other element engaging said loop and interlocking therewith when the loop is driven to its ultimate position, by interengaging projection and recess portions of said elements and said loop.

7. A rail anchor comprising separate rail gripping and retaining members, said retaining member being reversely turned at one end to form a loop and terminating at its other end in a rail base flange engaging hook, said rail gripping member having a pair of jaws adapted to be driven into a rail base flange and a pendant portion when the anchor is applied to a rail, providing a seat for said loop, said seat and the bottom surface of said rail flange adapted when the gripping member is driven onto a rail base flange to form upper and lower converging guides, said loop adapted to be driven between said guides to progressively oompress the loop therebetween, said seat provided with an inwardly extending projection disposed intermediate its end edges, said loop provided with a recess portion adapted to interlock with said projection.

8. A rail anchor comprising a rail gripping element and a separately formed bar movable to a position transversely of the rail and engaging the rail and the gripping element to hold the gripping element in rail-gripping position, and having a positive interlocking engagement with the said gripping element to prevent relative movement of the gripping element in the grip releasing direction, and a spring member on one of the said elements to maintain the interlock thereof.

9. A rail anchor comprising a rail gripping element and a se'parately'formedbarmovable to a position transversely of the rail and engaging the rail and the gripping element to hold the gripping element in rail-gripping position, and opposite shoulder portions on the bar engageable with opposite shoulder portions of the element to effect a positive interlocking engagement of the bar withthe said gripping element to prevent relative movement of the gripping element in the grip releasing direction, and a portion of one of said elements being resilient for maintaining the interlock thereof.

10. A rail anchor consising of a U-shaped jaw member adapted to be driven into gripping engagement with the top and bottom surfaces of a rail base at one side of a rail, a separately formed bar movable to a position transversely of the rail and formed at one end with a shoulder for engagement with the edge of the rail base and with a bearing surface for engagement with the bottom surface of the rail base and at the other end extending downwardly at an angle to the bottom face of the rail and having a positive interlocking engagement with said jaw member to positively prevent movement of the jaw member in grip-releasing direction.

11. A rail anchor comprising separate rail gripping'and retaining members, said retaining member being revers ly turned at one end to form a loop and terminating at its other end in a rail base flange engaging hook, said rail gripping member having a pair of jaws adapted to be driven onto a rail base flange and a pendant portion when the anchor is applied to a rail,

being inclined upwardly toward the opposite rail base flange and providing a seat for said loop, said seat and the bottom surface of said rail flange adapted when the gripping member is driven onto a rail base flange to form upper and'lower converging guides, said loop adapted to be driven between said guides to progressively compress the loop therebetween, said seat and said loop being provided with superposed key and slot locking elements formed so as to interlock the members, the key locking element comprising a projection of its associated member.

12. A rail anchor comprising separate rail gripping and retaining members, said retaining member being reversely turned at one end to form a loop and terminating at its other end in a rail base flange engaging hook, said rail gripping member having a pair of jaws adapted to be driven onto a rail base flange and a pendant portion when the anchor is applied to a rail, being inclined upwardly toward the opposite rail base flange and providing a seat for said loop, said seat and the bottom surface of said rail flange adapted when the gripping member is driven onto a rail base flange to form upper and lower converging guides, said loop adapted to be driven between said guides to progressively compress the loop therebetween, the reversely turned arm of said loop being disposed lowermost in engagement with the upper surface of the seat, said arm and seat being positively interlocked intermediate the edges of said seat by a projection of the one extending within a recessed portion of the other.

13. A rail anchor comprising separate rail gripping and retaining members, said retaining member being reversely turned at one end to form a loop and terminating at its other end in a rail base flange engaging hook, said rail gripping member having a pair of jaws adapted to be driven onto a rail base flange and a pendant portion when the anchor is applied to a rail, being inclined upwardly toward the opposite rail base flange and providing a seat for said loop, said seat and the bottom surface of said rail flange adapted when the gripping member is driven onto a rail base flange to form upper and lower converging guides, said loop adapted to be driven between said guides to progressively compress the loop therebetween, the reversely turned arm of said loop being disposed lowermost in engagement with the upper surface of the seat, said arm and seat being interlocked by a transversely extending projection of the one extending within a recessed portion of the other, said interlocking projection and recess disposed intermediate the end edges of said seat.

14. A rail anchor comprising separate rail gripping and retaining members, said retaining member being reversely turned at one end to form a loop and terminating at its other end in a rail base flange engaging hook, said rail gripping member having a pair of jaws adapted to be driven onto a rail base flange and a pendant portion when the anchor is applied to a rail, being inclined upwardly toward the opposite rail base flange and providing a seat for said loop, said seat and the bottom surface of said rail flange adapted when the gripping member is driven onto a rail base flange to form upper and lower converging guides, said loop adapted to be driven between said guides to progressively compress the loop therebetween, the reversely turned arm of said loop being disposed lowermost in engagement with the upper surface of the seat, said arm and seat being interlocked by a transversely extending projection of the one extending within a recessed portion of the other, said projection and recess being provided by bodily deflecting the material of said arm and loop respectively in a corresponding direction towards the rail base.

15. A rail anchor comprising a rail gripping member and a separately formed bar extending transversely of the rail and formed at one end with an upstanding shoulder for engagement with the lateral edge of the rail base and with a bearing surface for engagement with the bottom surface of the rail base adjacent said edge, the bar having opposite shoulder portions engageable with corresponding opposite shoulder portions of the rail gripping member to effect a positive interlocking engagement of the bar with the said gripping member, and one of said parts of the anchor being resilient to maintain the interlock of said gripping member and bar to positively prevent relative movements in either direction, said resilient member exerting upwardly directed pressure upon said bar to resiliently maintain the bearing surface thereof in engagement with said rail base bottom surface.

16. A rail anchor comprising a substantially U-shaped rail gripping member and a separately formed bar extending transversely of the rail and formed at one end with an upstanding shoulder for engagement with the lateral edge of the rail base and with a bearing surface for engagement with the bottom surface of the rail base ach'acent said edge and having an interlocking engagement with the said gripping member, means on one of said members for positively interlocking the bar and gripping member to prevent relative movement thereof in either direction, the said shoulder adapted to snap over and to engage the opposite edge of the rail base when projected between the base gripping portions of said U-shaped member transversely of the rail base and said U-shaped member being formed of such width that slight longitudinal movement of the rail shifts the anchor to a position to effect a shackle grip transversely of the rail.

ALBERT F. FIFIELD. 

